


The Path of a Soul Rider

by SpaceUnicornDot



Category: Star Stable
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-08-01 05:56:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16279052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceUnicornDot/pseuds/SpaceUnicornDot
Summary: Elizabeth told him to approach the four rune stones circled around the hill above her house with her rune stick and return once he had visited each one. What neither of them expected was a response from each of the stones.





	The Path of a Soul Rider

Elizabeth's rune wand almost felt surreal and strange to hold. While she didn't explain its purpose or why he would need it, he knew it was meant to channel magic - something he didn't exactly need, not that she or anyone else needed to know that, especially so soon. Unease rooted itself in his stomach as he lead Starstone up the path beyond Elizabeth's cottage. He wasn't sure what the Druid was expecting, and he certainly didn't know what to expect himself. Would this test reveal his true nature? What would they think if they found out now, especially in this way..?

There was only one way to find out.

As she had promised, the path opened to a flat piece of land above the village, around which were four runestones, each with a single, large symbol upon them. He couldn't say he'd distinctly seen them before - not in this context, at least. They had appeared briefly in historical locations around the island he had already visited, such as Jarl's tomb and engraved into the base of the statue of the goddess in Aideen's Plaza, but a deeper familiarity seemed to tug at the edges of his mind, as if he'd seen them before somewhere else, somewhere with far more meaning... It didn't make any sense though, so he did his best to brush the feeling aside.

Star blew out a gentle breath of encouragement. Taking in a deep breath to prepare himself, he slid Star's reins over his head again to leave him standing at the edge of the path before approaching the first stone.

Upon it was a star. Pink light started to flicker into the symbol even before he raised the rune stick, and, when he pointed it at the stone, the light shone brightly, pulsing with energy and fully illuminating the symbol. Warmth seemed to flood over him - a feeling of calm, the safety he felt when embraced in his mother's arms, the serenity of the soft light of the Pandoric night sky and the Weeping Willows and glowing mushrooms. He couldn't help but close his eyes to savor the sensation as it filled him, wrapping around him like a warm blanket. It ebbed slowly after what could've only been a few moments, but a faint smile had pulled across his lips. It was the energy of rest and renewal, healing and comfort - the path of the healer. When he opened his eyes, the runestone still shone back at him, but its light held steady. He looked back to Starstone to see the stallion relaxed, shaking his head as if to rise himself out of a similar aura of energy before blinking back at him.

 _"It knows you're here. You've been accepted."_ Star's advice usually made more sense than that, but his companion's wise words had yet to lead them astray. _"Go on, see about the others."_

Still trying to wrap his head around what just happened, Jay turned to the next stone. A sun was set into its surface and, just as the first, it began to glow as he stepped before it, and began to glow stronger as he pointed the rune stick.

Only, this time, he was greeted with the sensation of falling. Wind whipped against his face as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly, fear blooming with the plummet that stopped with a _swoosh_ of sprouting wings catching on a breeze and soaring, though a sensation of unsteady swaying remained. A familiar pink appeared in the vision, swirling light accompanied by strange, distant sounds of shifting earth. The Sun Circle had answered - a worthy traveler had been found.

Again, he opened his eyes to the runestone before him in a steady glow, breathless from the flight that had felt so real. The next stone wasn't too far off, just beside it. Rinse and repeat, he supposed, though if the next two were anything like that...

This time, a moon stared back at him. The first thing to greet him as he raised the wand was black. He suddenly felt tired. Time seemed to slow. Then, blurry shapes appeared out of the fog - ships on stormy seas, approaching some sort of shoreline, cold and damp against his skin. Then, collapsing trees giving way to the march of many hooves across rolling fields of grass, uniform and in sync, as if part of a unit, with a gentle breeze carrying the sound of their hoofbeats, a light nicker, and the bark of indecipherable orders. The grass gave way quickly to snow, several feet deep, horse and master alike thickly bundled in pelts and cloth, sinking with every step through a steady snow like the frigid cold that seemed to sink into his very bones. The flashes disappeared back into the black before pink flashed again before his eyes in a blur, punctuated with a fearful, screeching neigh as a shadow of horse and rider reared upon back legs before the darkness collapsed solidly upon them both with a long, tent-

Jaime's breath left him with the _thud_ he almost felt, but his eyes opened again to the runestone, half expecting to find himself on the ground. Nothing had been too clear, and all of it had been fragmented, short, blurry... Much of it had been history, but some..?

The path of the Moon was that of a glimpse into time - past, present, future... and possibility.

One stone remained. He could sense his Soul Steed was also rattled by the foray into the visions, but also awaiting the trial of the last stone.

The Lightning. The sensation shot through him like a searing, red hot pain that burned into a protective anger. A renewed strength flowed through him, ready for battles to come, ready to fiercely protect friends, family, strangers, the Light, this precious island and its unique horses against the threatening darkness intent on casting a shadow over Jorvik, shattering and splintering the land, corrupting it with shadows and darkness. It was a feeling of power and a drive for justice - a determination to keep digging, even when there seemed to be nothing left to give. The world was worth fighting for, and fight he would, for the Lightning was the path of the warrior.

When he returned to the small clearing and the runestone before him, breathing harder with the new energy rushing through him, he noticed his grip had tightened around the rune stick. He loosened his grip slowly back to normal as the feeling faded, releasing the determined knit in his brow as he turned back to his Soul Steed to find the stallion staring back at him, almost in awe, as if some newfound respect had been discovered. Whatever had just happened had felt like a roller coaster ride through his emotions... but they were stronger for it, and so was their bond.

What it all meant was not completely clear, but it was unwise to rush time. All that was certain was that their discovery was important, far more than they could fathom...

The adventure was, truly, just beginning...


End file.
